Niederkruchten - Stevensweert: following the Maas - A Flanders Fling

May 25, 2017

Niederkruchten - Stevensweert: following the Maas

Sun today! And a generous breakfast was included in the price of the hotel, which was a good thing because we were in a small village and wouldn't have been able to find a bakery anyway.

With a German breakfast under your belt - rolls, dark bread, cold meats, cheese, jam, orange juice, a soft boiled egg, joghurt, coffee or tea - you are set up for the day, or at least until lunch time.

After less than a kilometer through the streets of the small town where we spent the night, we reached the peaceful, scenic bike paths of the Nature Reserve Maas-Schwalm-Nette, located on the German-Dutch border.

Passed this on the way to the nature reserve

I was eager to discover what kind of terrain my planning at the computer would take us through. On the maps it looked promising and I figured it might be a worth a few extra kilometers, but wasn't sure what kind of paths we would have. It was a short and lovely ride on packed-dirt bicycle paths with lakes, a frog concert, streams and charming views.

These guys were tiny but numerous and we were treated to an amazing concert!

When we rode out of the nature reserve, we saw that the street signs were now in Dutch. We had at some point crossed the border and were now in Holland! Pleasant country roads took us to Roermond, a picturesque town with a busy pedestrian zone. It was getting pretty warm by now. We got off our bikes for a short stop, looked around and carried on.

We emerge from the nature reserve and see the signs are now in Dutch - "Attention - obstacles on the shoulder"

We were now on a road with almost no traffic between the Maas River and a canal, with lots of other cyclists. When we saw a marina with a small Asian run restaurant, we took a break for a sandwich and watched the sail boats. A perfect day.

Well, we thought it was a perfect day up to that point. By early afternoon when we reached Stevensweert where we had reserved a room in a small B&B, I knew I wasn't okay. Before we left Munich, I had a mild urinary tract infection (from now on UTI, as sadly this won't be the last you hear of it). I was taking an antibiotic and my doctor reassured me it would be alright for me to leave for our bicycle tour. Now, all of a sudden, the symptoms returned and I was miserable.

I knew this was not going to go away by itself and that I needed a doctor. Our B&B host gave us the telephone number of the nearest hospital and when I called I was told to report to their out-patient care. The hospital was located in Roermond which we had cycled through in the morning! As is so often the case, in an emergency situation solutions arise that you wouldn't have been able to imagine in advance. Our kind and generous B&B host offered to drive us there, a 30-minute car trip, wait and drive us back, a total of two hours.

Fortunately, the Dutch almost without exception speak excellent English. I could explain my situation to the doctor and got a prescription for a broad-spectrum antibiotic that he thought should do the trick - 3 tablets a day for ten days. I was glad to be off the initial antibiotic because it had caused a sun-sensitivity reaction and anything exposed, mainly the skin on my legs and hands, was burning wickedly. At least I had used sunscreen on my face.

What to do now? Beat a retreat to Munich? Getting back seemed to involve just as much cycling as continuing. We had always said if need be, we'll "just" go back home. Well, with a bicycle you don't just go anywhere unless you pedal. By evening and with a little rest I was feeling much better, and since there were no rail connections available where we were, we decided to continue.

Today's ride: 37 km (23 miles)
Total: 275 km (171 miles)

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